Packing 'Em In- Last Friday's attendance of 7,123 against Connecticut was the highest ever for a UMass home opener and the most for non-conference home game.- The crowd was the 17th-largest all-time for UMass hockey at the Mullins Center. Eight of the top-10 all-time Mullins Center crowds have been for games against Boston College.- UMass ranked seventh nationally in average attendance last year (6,603), second among Hockey East behind Boston College (5th - 7,549).

HE-Men- UMass returns three of its top-four point producers from 2011-12, including juniors Conor Sheary and Michael Pereira who contributed 35 points (12g, 23a) and 34 points (17g, 17a) last season, respectively.- Both are among the top returning scorers in Hockey East this season as Sheary is tied for ninth on the list and Pereira is tied for 11th.- Among the league's top returning goal scorers, Pereira ranks fourth.

Canadian Connection- UMass' second line of senior Rocco Carzo, redshirt sophomore Steven Guzzo and junior Branden Gracel was responsible for half of the team's points in the win over Connecticut. The two Canadian members of the line, Guzzo and Gracel, each contributed a goal and an assist in the 4-1 victory.

Special Teams Success- With 52 total penalty minutes between the two squads, UMass' power play and penalty kill units saw plenty of action against Connecticut. - The Minutemen converted 20% (2-for-10) of its power play opportunities with a pair of defensemen (Colin Shea and Darren Rowe) notching power-play tallies. UMass was also successful on 7-of-8 (87.5%) penalty kills.- In 2011-12, the Minutemen posted a power play percentage of 18.2% and were 121-for-159 (76.1%) in killing penalties.

Captains Named- Head coach John Micheletto announced on Oct. 16 that Rocco Carzo and Kevin Czepiel will serve as the team's co-captains for the 2012-13 season. The senior forwards have each played in over 90 career games and will wear the "C"s for the first time on Friday night when the Minutemen take the ice vs. #3 Boston College.

44 Back For More- Junior Joel Hanley is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him post 25 points (7g, 18a) and record a +12 rating.- Hanley ranked fifth in defensemen scoring in Hockey East in 2011-12 and was third among the Minutemen in assists. He was one of three UMass players to see action in all 36 games last season, joining T.J. Syner and Conor Sheary.

Settling In - The Minutemen open up the 2012-13 campaign by playing 11 of their first 15 games in the friendly confines of the Mullins Center. - Over the last 108 games at Mullins, UMass is 57-37-14 (.593) including a 14-3-4 mark in 2006-07. All-time, UMass is 143-135-34 in the Mullins Center including a 87-117-26 record among Hockey East foes. - The 2011-12 campaign got off to an especially good start as the Minutemen began 7-0-3 at home prior to their Jan. 27 loss to #11 UMass Lowell. The last such start to a season was in 2007-08 when the Minutemen were 4-0-3 to start the season before falling on Dec. 8 to #7 New Hampshire. UMass finished 2011-12 with a mark of 9-4-3 on home ice.

Staying Put- UMass will not venture very far from Amherst in 2012-13, with its furthest road trip just a shade over 300 miles, a single game at Maine on Nov. 16.- The Minutemen will leave the Commonwealth just once over the first two months of the season as their only other away contests during that span are at Boston University, Boston College and Northeastern.

Junior Mint?- UMass' 13-man junior class has produced nearly 300 points in two-plus seasons as Minutemen. - As a group, they have logged 106 goals and 183 assists, led by Michael Pereira's 59 career points. Conor Sheary and Joel Hanley follow with 49 and 43, respectively.

13 Feet Of Defense- UMass boasts one of the most imposing defensive parings in Hockey East as the only team in the conference with two players over 6-foot-5. - Look for 6'6" Adam Phillips and 6'7" Oleg Yevenko to see time on the ice together this season. Phillips scored 10 goals as a freshman in 2010-11. Yevenko played in 33 games in his first collegiate campaign last year.

A Sloth of Bruins- With the addition of freshmen Connor Doherty and K.J. Tiefenwerth, UMass now has four former members of the Boston Junior Bruins, joining junior Colin Shea and sophomore Andrew Tegeler.- Tiefenwerth has also been reunited with another former teammate as he and current junior Michael Pereira helped Avon Old Farms to a New England Division I Prep Championship in 2009-10.- With the Junior Bruins, Tiefenwerth was named the EJHL Rookie of the Year in 2010-11 after logging 57 points. In 2011-12, he ranked third in the EJHL with 77 points.- Tiefenwerth played in his first collegiate game as a part of the third line against Connecticut.

Vs. Ranked Teams- UMass was 7-9-1 last against ranked teams with wins over #1 Boston College (11/15), #17 Yale (12/7), #13 Cornell (12/29), #4 Boston College (1/13), #1 Boston University (2/10, at #11 Maine (2/18) and vs. #12 Merrimack (3/2). In 2010-11, the Minutemen posted an 0-16-3 record against ranked teams.- UMass record of 9-8-0 in 2009-10 was the program's best all-time record against ranked foes. UMass had wins over #2 Boston University (Oct. 18), #9 Yale (Nov. 19), #18/17 Vermont (Nov. 24, Jan. 23), vs. #18 Union (12/29), a pair over #15 UMass Lowell (1/15-16), and a pair of wins at #17 Maine (3/5-6). - All-time, UMass is 61-208-24 against ranked opponents including a 6-7-2 record at neutral sites and a 9-25-4 record against non-conference teams.- UMass posted its fourth-ever win over a #1-ranked team, its first-ever on the road, on Feb. 10, 2012, 3-2 at Boston University. It was the squad's second over a #1 on the season. On Nov. 5, 2011, the Minutemen earned a 4-2 victory over Boston College in the Mullins Center. Previously, UMass had defeated then #1-ranked Boston University, 5-1, on Nov. 14, 2008 - also at the Mullins Center. The first came in 1994-95 with a 4-2 win over #1 Maine on Jan. 28. In the modern era, UMass is 4-13-1 against teams ranked #1.

Tough To Blank- The Minutemen were tough to hold off the scoreboard in 2011-12, as the squad was shut out just once on the year, 4-0 at UMass Lowell on Nov. 19, 2011. - UMass scored two or more goals in 33 of 36 games in 2011-12 and ranked fifth in Hockey East in scoring offense with 3.17 goals per-game.

UMass Adds Transfer Dongara- In addition to the squad's four in coming freshmen, UMass has also welcomed a transfer to the fold, forward Rob Dongara who comes to Amherst from Northeastern and will sit out 2012-13 per NCAA transfer rules.- Dongara, who will have two seasons of eligibility with the Minutemen, skated in 36-of-38 games as a freshman at Northeastern in 2010-11 and totaled 14 points on six goals and eight assists.- Scored his first career goal in the Beanpot in short-handed fashion for the Huskies against Boston College in the Beanpot finals; it was such a great goal, it debuted to the nation as the #7 Play of the Day on SportsCenter.

Schedule Update- UMass' games against Providence, originally scheduled for Jan. 11-12, will swap locations to avoid a scheduling conflict with women's basketball's home game versus George Washington. The Minutemen will now play at home on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m. vs. the Friars, while Saturday's contest, originally slated to be played in Amherst, will take place in Providence, R.I.

Quick Wins Cup- Former Minuteman Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the Los Angeles Kings to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Championship following the squad's 6-1 series-clinching victory over the New Jersey Devils back in June. Quick, the first UMass player to win the Stanley Cup,became just the third American to collect the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.- Quick allowed only 29 goals in the Kings' 20 playoff games, including just seven in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals as he stopped 125 of 132 shots. He was 16-4 in net during the postseason with a 1.41 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.- The Vezina Trophy finalist started a personal-best 69 games during the 2011-12 regular season and posted 35 of the Kings' 40 wins. Quick logged an NHL-leading 10 shutouts and ranked second in the League with a 1.95 goals-against average and fifth with a .929 save percentage. All three marks were franchise single season records, as well.- At UMass, Quick led the Minutemen to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2006-07 while posting team single-season records with 19 wins, 37 appearances, 1,046 saves and 2,224 minutes played. He finished his sophomore season with a 19-12-5 record, three shutouts, a. 2.16 goals-against average (tied for 11th in the nation) and a .929 save percentage (fifth in the nation). That season, he became UMass' fifth All-American selection earning second-team honors. He still holds program career records for save percentage (.926), goals against average (2.40) and saves per game (28.96).

Kostka Claims Calder- UMass hockey alum Mike Kostka scored twice and added an assist as the Nofolk Admirals completed their sweep of the Toronto Marlies to capture the 2012 Calder Cup. Kostka, for a second straight game, scored the game-winner for Norfolk, who defeated the Marlies, 6-1, in the series-clinching game four.- Kostka, who turned pro following his senior season with the Minutemen in 2007, totaled six goals and six assists over 18 postseason games. The defenseman had 32 points on seven goals and 25 assists in 52 regular season contests with the Admirals in 2011-12.- Kostka became first Minuteman to win the Calder Cup since Matt Anderson took home the title with the Chicago Wolves in 2007-08. - All told, over the last five years, three different UMass hockey alums have played in the AHL's championship series with Casey Wellman leading the Houston Aeros to the Cup finals in 2011-12.